Tottenham Hotspur are set to compete with Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain for the prospective free transfer of AC Milan’s Franck Kessie in January, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Tuttomercatoweb), and the trio of suitors may have been given some encouragement following recent developments.
The Lowdown: Contract problems
Since his permanent move to AC Milan in 2019 following a two-year loan spell, Kessie has been linked with a move to top clubs across Europe.
The 24-year-old, who has made 44 appearances for the Ivory Coast national team, hasn’t appeared for the Serie A side since his brace earned all three points at the end of May against Atalanta. He is yet to feature for Stefano Pioli’s side this season after helping his nation to the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games in Tokyo during the summer.
With his contract running out next summer, the interest in Kessie is set to increase during the upcoming 12 months.
The Latest: Contract roadblock
According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Tuttomercatoweb), Kessie has rejected a contract extension from Milan worth €6.5m (£5.57m) a year.
The Italian newspaper reported that the midfielder wants €8m (£6.86m) a year plus €2m (£1.7m) in bonuses, and Spurs are said to be keen on the midfielder, who scored 13 goals in 37 league appearances for the Rossoneri last season.
Milan will be fearful of losing one of their key players for nothing like they did with Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG) and Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter).
Kessie claimed in July that he wanted to stay at Milan ‘forever' but has now rejected a new deal with the club.
The Verdict: Perfect Box-to-Box
Kessie’s quality has been clear to see since he arrived at the San Siro. Last season he carried an 89% pass completion per match whilst making 2.07 blocks per game.
Spurs currently have a couple of gifted centre-midfielders in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, but with doubts having circulated over Tanguy Ndombele's future, the arrival of Kessie would be an added bonus to Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad.
Former Milan striker Antonio Cassano even lauded the midfielder as "intelligent" and "devastating" earlier in the year during one of the best seasons of his career, and we will have to see whether the Lilywhites can beat the pulling power of PSG or Liverpool next summer.
In other news: Many Spurs fans have been raving about one of their summer signings - find out more here.